Preview: Firefighters foundation food fest

There are still a few tickets left for tonight’s big fundraiser for the Honolulu Firefighters Foundation (HFF). I can’t go — Nonstop’s Tracy Chan will be covering it — but I got to hang out with some hunky firemen yesterday to watch them prep for the event. There will be food booths from 14 restaurants and organizations showcasing some great…

Hawaii: In Real Life ~ Oktoberfest at Outrigger Reef

If you can’t get to the big event in Munich, or just want a taste of Germany, the Outrigger Reef is having its first Oktoberfest celebration starting tomorrow through October 19. Guido Ulmann — the fun-loving German-Swiss executive chef of the hotel — is making traditional Bavarian dishes such as bratwurst (pork sausage), bockwurst (veal sausage), kasseler rippchen (smoked pork loin), German…

Preview: Pop-ups at the Food & New Products Show

This weekend, check out the 49th annual Fall Food & New Products Show at the Blaisdell to see the latest from local vendors and — if you’re so organized — get a jump start on your holiday shopping. I usually go to get unique gifts for my mainland friends who pass through Hawaii, since they can’t easily access some of…

Hawaii Fashion Month Fash Mob

If you happened to be at Ward Centers Saturday night, you were pretty much a part of fashion history in Hawaii. Ward Centers and Hawaii Fashion Month (HFM) partnered to present the first surprise street Flash Mob, incorporating dancers from Underground Movement and 18 professional models.As “Fashion” by Lady Gaga blasted out-of-the blue at Ward Theatres, dancers popped up out…

Talking Story with the Makers of ‘100 Days’

Being a filial child to your parents is such a strong part of Asian culture, but the Taiwanese film “100 Days” carries that commitment to an extreme. In the film, the main character learns of his mother’s passing and returns to his small island village for her burial. However, per Chinese culture, he must marry within 100 days of her…

Nonstop Movies: ‘Captain Phillips’

Every once in a while you come across a performance that convinces you there’s no other actor who could have played that particular role. Such is the case for Tom Hanks’ portrayal of Richard Phillips, the real ship captain who was taken hostage by Somali pirates in 2009. After seeing the film, I tried to think of any other actors…

HIFF review: ‘Mt. Zion’

It would not be HIFF if there wasn’t a Tamuera Morrison film. Screening at this year’s Hawaii International Film Festival is the period film, “Mt. Zion.”Although playing a supporting roll in this film, Morrison’s presence is still felt throughout the film.Known for his memorable rolls in “Once Were Warriors” and last year’s slasher comedy “Fresh Meat,” Morrison puts forth a…

HIFF Review Roundup

Nonstop movie buffs Myong Choi and Ed Morita will be screening all kinds of films at this year’s Hawaii International Film Festival. Here are some of the flicks they saw, with a brief review of whether it’s a must-watch or not.“How to Use Guys with Secret Tips”Country: South KoreaDirector: Lee Won SukStars: Lee Si Young, Oh Jung SeShowings:Friday, Oct. 18,…

Save the date: Kung Fu in Kaka‘ako

Kaka‘ako. Kung Fu. Kool.The Hawaii International Film Festival and Our Kaka‘ako will be presenting the martial arts classic, “The Avenging Eagle,” from renowned Shaw Brothers studio, makers of classic kung fu films. And how appropriate that this screening will take place on a Friday night, the night that Black Belt Theater used to air on TV back in the ’80s….

Hawaii: In Real Life ~ Honolulu Gourmet

Do you ever try to shop just for local products, but find that you have to drive to various stores and farmers’ markets to get everything you want? Jill Miiko Lee, who sells her own Honolulu Gourmet label items at farmers’ markets around town, noticed that it was inconvenient for people to do this, not to mention they have to…

Nonstop Movies: HIFF Preview

Anyone looking for me between October 10-20 likely will find me quiet in a dark room with my silence only being intermittently interrupted by bursts of laughter, tears or even a bit of freaking out. No, I’m not crazy; I’ll just be spending most of my waking hours at the Hawaii International Film Festival.HIFF has really outdone itself this year…

Cinema for the belly: What Hollywood lacks

As another Hawaii International Film Festival approaches, I found myself revisiting a lot of my favorite food films.About month ago, I realized that a majority of my favorite food films were either foreign or independent films.Apart from 2007’s “Ratatouille” and “Julie & Julia” in 2009, I could not think of a recent food film that was a mainstream Hollywood production….

Party pics: 17Hawaii launch party

To kick off its first Hawaii Chinese language tourism book, 17Hawaii, Affinity China held a Modern Luau at The Modern Honolulu, with Chinese actor Hu Bing, performers from Germaine’s Luau and ukulele star Jake Shimabukuro. 17hawaii Launch Party ◄ Back Next ► Picture 1 of 27 Photo by Ed Morita jQuery(function($) { new NggPaginatedGallery(‘8fbc1aa63a48844ad245bffa0ac5e7c4’, ‘.ngg-imagebrowser’); });Jake Shimabukuro’s performance

Nonstop Movies: ‘Gravity’

As a claustrophobe, I thought being trapped in an enclosed space would be the most frightening feeling I could experience. Who knew the exact opposite would be even more terrifying?“Gravity” is largely a conceptual film, but director Alfonso Cuaron makes being adrift in space an absolutely nail-biting experience. Told in real time, “Gravity” effectively depicts the intensity and fear of…

Hawaii: In Real Life ~ Frank Abraham

If you’re into cooking local food — especially if you’ve moved away from Hawaii and miss it — you’re probably familiar with Frank Abraham’s website, “Cooking Hawaiian Style.” Since moving to the mainland 30 years ago, he found he missed local food and gathered recipes for himself and others. And, since he’s a computer geek, he created a nice website to…

Tango’s unprocessed October menu

This week, I’m supposed to start a fitness challenge that includes a diet regimen designed to cut out carbs and as many processed foods as possible. When you think about it, though, processed foods are a part of everyday American life. How am I supposed to avoid that?I kid you not, just as I was fretting about my limited options,…

Did this: Home School DIY Workshop

We dropped in on Home School, the first in a series of DIY building workshops at the Pinch of Salt Warehouse in Our Kaka‘ako, hosted by Lauren Makk of local interior design store PAD and Brandon Russell from TLC and Discovery Home’s “Trading Spaces” reality show. The class, intended to empower beginning builders, this time consisted of women of all…

Nonstop Movies: ‘On the Job’

A real life scandal where high ranking Philippine politicians were found guilty of hiring prison inmates to temporarily leave jail to assassinate their targets sounds so implausible, yet intriguing, that it should have been a perfect story for a movie. But “On the Job,” despite being technically sound, falls disappointingly flat in its delivery.The opening scene introduces two hit men,…

‘Hawaii Five-0’ premiere and episode recap

“Just when I thought I was out… they pull me back in.” – Michael Corleone in “The Godfather: Part III”Readers of my “Hawaii Five-0” episode recaps know I’ve become disenchanted with the show. The writing had gone downhill, characters were needlessly forced on audiences, and stories began to border on the absurd. So I was all ready to write the…

Nonstop Movies: ‘Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2’

The makers of “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2” must have had a great time coming up with catchy puns for all the mutant creatures that are half animal, half food such as watermelephants, flamangoes, mosquitoasts, tacodiles and shrimpanzees. Wait a minute, which part of “shrimpanzee” is the food and which part is the animal? I’ll leave that one…

Lei Chic's guide to the weekend's best events

Weekend Picks - September 26, 2013

Watch Syncing 'Ship What: We're breaking from the norm to bring you a Weekend Pick that you can do right now. If you didn't catch it on television (or even if you did), you'll want to watch Jimmy Fallon challenge *swoon* Joseph Gordon-Levitt and comedian Stephen Merchant to an epic lip sync battle. The video has already racked up more…